Would You Rather
by H.A.R.M.Girl
Summary: <html><head></head>Hakuba Saguru definitely didn't like the idea of a premature death. But he wasn't completely sure that he preferred the exact opposite, either. Oneshot.</html>


**I do not own Magic Kaito. Also, the story is separated into four parts; the first part is in 3****rd**** person POV, but the rest is 1****st**** person, from Hakuba's POV.**

xXx

Kaito clutched the sapphire in his gloved hand as he ascended the flight of steps, taking them two or three at a time. He knew that Hakuba was right behind him—he could hear the pounding of the blonde's strides echoing his own—but as soon as he reached the roof, it would be all over. He would check the jewel against the moonlight, activate his hang glider, and, upon seeing nothing but the gem's natural azure hue, toss it at Hakuba and leap off the roof.

Of course, Hakuba would have thought of that. The detective wasn't an imbecile; there would definitely be at least one trap set on the rooftop. On the other hand, Kaito believed (maybe a bit overconfidently) that whatever Hakuba had planned, the thief would be able to circumvent it. _Besides, it's a bit late to change course __now_, Kaito thought as he burst onto the roof, flinging the door open with a bang. He shut it behind himself, trying to buy a few seconds for an escape.

Kaito checked the sky to determine that no clouds blotted out the full moon's light before raising the sapphire above his head. As he did so, he noticed an unfamiliar pinprick of bright light directly to the right of the moon; however, he didn't have much time to dwell on it, because he was immediately blinded by a radiant flash of red light. He drew the jewel down to his side in shock, noticing that the glove holding the jewel was now somehow _soaked_. He gaped at the sapphire, which had returned to its dull blue shade upon removal from the moon's rays.

_Could it be_…

Kaito inspected the surface of the gem, slick with…tears? He knew that the jewel of legend was supposed to "cry tears" that granted immortality when a certain comet passed, but—the weird light! Kaito lifted his eyes to the moon again, this time focusing on the new light that he had noticed before. If that was the comet, then that would mean….

…_Pandora?_

Suddenly, Hakuba slammed open the door Kaito had just come through with a gunshot-like bang. But wait…the bang had come from his front, not his back, and there was no way Hakuba had been that close. Then the dull pain set it, and Kaito realized exactly what the noise was, and that it had absolutely nothing to do with Hakuba. The stain—a much darker and more ominous hue than that of the bright light Pandora produced—was slowly blossoming over his torso immediately below the single button that fastened his ivory Kaitou Kid jacket.

He stumbled backward, doubling over, but still somehow managing to keep a firm hold on Pandora. A sniper stood on the top of a taller building across the street—Kaito assumed it was Snake, but the night was too dark and the figure was too distant to tell for sure. That was when the door to the rooftop really did burst open. _There_ was Hakuba. Nice timing.

The detective's head whipped around the rooftop, eyes narrowed as he scanned for the thief. However, when his eyes finally landed on the target, they widened in complete shock. "…Kid?" He dashed to Kaito, falling to his knees as her reached the curled-up figure, turned him over gently, and checked his pulse. He was shocked to find the beat fairly steady, if not a bit quick as a result from exertion.

"Hakuba," Kaito coughed. He grabbed the detective's wrist with the hand that wasn't grasping Pandora, eyes wild with panic. "Get away!"

"What?" Hakuba said incredulously, slightly taken aback at being referred to by his name as opposed to "Tantei-san," as was customary. "Kid, I can't just leave you bleeding—"

"I'm not," Kaito corrected harshly. "It's just corn syrup and dye. But _you_ will be if you stay. Hakuba, plea—"

Kaito knew it wasn't the door this time. He could feel the warm crimson splatter across his face like freckles; could see the oozing dark hole that had appeared just to the right of Hakuba's heart; could _taste_ the rusty, salty taste of the drop that had landed on his lip. Hakuba's still-wide eyes slowly transferred their horrified gaze to his own chest.

"Hakuba…" Kaito whispered, wanting more than anything to scream as Hakuba collapsed limply. "No, please, Hakuba…"

Hakuba opened his mouth, struggling to speak. "Kuroba…" he managed.

Kaito pulled himself up into a kneeling position beside Hakuba, hesitating. He had sworn never to tell the detective his secret, not only to avoid jail time, but also to protect the detective from Snake and the other members of his organization…like the one who had just shot him.

"…Yes?"

"Wh…why…" Hakuba was interrupted by a fit of dry coughs, which—Kaito was horrified to notice—caused blood to dribble down his chin.

"Know what? Don't try to talk," Kaito ordered hoarsely. "I'm gonna find some help."

Suddenly Hakuba's hand wrapped around Kaito's tie and forcibly yanked the thief downwards, allowing the third bullet to sail harmlessly over his head. Enraged, Kaito leapt up, drew his card gun, and sent multiple rounds of razor-edged ammo in the general direction from which the bullets had come. His monocle flashing with each shot, Kaito continued to unleash consecutive card bullets onto the sniper. He only paused when he noticed the figure—who he assumed was the sniper—atop the distant building collapse.

Kaito sheathed his card gun and knelt back down beside the dying detective. "Alright, Hakuba, I took care of the sniper. Now I'll…" Kaito trailed off at Hakuba's lack of response. "…Hakuba?" Kaito ripped off a glove and his fingers flew to the unconscious boy's neck; a pulse was present, but it was faint and irregular.

"No, no, Hakuba…" Kaito begged. His eyes drifted to his discarded glove, which was still soggy from Pandora. "Wait." _Pandora! Maybe_….

"C'mon, please work."

xXx

I blinked open my eyes cautiously and groaned at the bright light overhead. I raised my right arm to shield my eyes and tried to sit up so I could evaluate my surroundings. My first guess was the hospital, considering my last memory was getting shot through the chest (I wasn't so naïve as to believe I had ended up in heaven—I could still _feel_, after all).

My last guess would have been Kuroba's house. But given the photographs adorning the walls, I was apparently in his room, on his bed. With my shirt off. I inspected the skin around my chest; there wasn't even a scar from a bullet wound. Was it a dream? But if it _was_ a dream, then what was I doing in Kuroba's bed without a shirt?

…Dear _God_, no.

Suddenly, the door cracked open, and Kuroba himself appeared, tugging a shirt over his dripping head; I assumed that he had just taken a shower. "'Bout time," he said irritably as soon as he spotted me. "You've been asleep for hours."

This. Was. Not. Happening.

"I suppose…" Kuroba drawled. "…I could cut you a break, considering what we went through, but you're obviously fine now." He paused, staring quizzically at my disturbed expression. "Oi, what's with you? Shouldn't you be thankful? Or relieved? You were _this_ close to dying last night!"

…Dying?

"The bullet wound healed up nicely though," Kuroba said, striding to the bed and poking my chest. "I wasn't expecting that. I guess I was thinking you'd be more like a walking corpse or a zombie, not regenerative."

Okay. Now I was confused. "Kuroba, what the hell are you going on about?" I deadpanned.

Now he was the one looking confused. "What, don't you remember? The Kid heist? Chasing Kid to the rooftop, _getting shot_?"

"I was the only one up there with Kid and that sniper." My eyes narrowed as my memories of last night came into clear focus. "Are you admitting that you're Kaitou Kid?"

Kuroba pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "Really, Hakuba? _Now?_ Besides, I told you that last night, remember?"

My mouth dropped open. "_What?_"

He sighed. "Guess not. What's the last thing you remember clearly, then?"

"The bullet wound. Seeing it. After that, it's all blurry," I answered immediately. "Wait a second, shouldn't you be shot, too?"

"I believe I explained that to you _before_ you got shot," Kaito huffed. "But I suppose I can _re_-explain. Those snipers have been showing up at the past couple of Kid heists, so I've taken to wearing Kevlar vests lined with capsules of fake blood that I made with corn syrup and red dye. You know, so if they shoot me, they'll think I'm dead and won't bother coming after me."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it was so troublesome for you to have to repeat that. But Kuroba…who are those guys? Why were they after you?"

Kuroba held up a hand. "First, I'll explain the situation. Then we can get to the long background story. Okay, so after you got shot, you addressed me as 'Kuroba' while I was Kid, but—since you were dying and all—I responded, thereby indirectly admitting who I was. Then you tried to ask me something, but you started coughing and I told you that I would get help. But then you must have seen another bullet coming, because you grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. I took out my card gun and…" Kuroba paused, searching for the proper phrase, "…_took care of_ the sniper. By that time, you were unconscious. I healed you, called Nakamori-keibu using your voice to tell him that you missed Kid and were going home, called your home with your voice to tell your father that you were staying at my house, and brought you back here." He glared at me. "You weighed down the glider; we barely made it back. Maybe you should cut back on those tea and scones or whatever it is you Brits eat."

I rolled my eyes again, smirking. "Well, sorry. But you know, muscle weighs more than fat."

"Yeah, and two people weigh more than one," Kuroba snapped. "We flew into the tree in my front yard! That's why I couldn't shower until just now; I've been fishing my glider out of the tree and trying to salvage it for the past two hours!"

"Look, I'm sorry about your glider, truly," I said impatiently, with just a minor hint of sarcasm. "But do you think you could explain to me what's going on, exactly? My main questions are, of course, how a bullet wound in the middle of my chest managed to completely heal over within a matter of hours, and why those people have been trying to kill you."

"That…" Kuroba sat heavily on the bed, sighing as he did so. "…is a long story."

xXx

"Forgive me for being somewhat skeptical, but you're trying to tell me that I'm _immortal_ now?" I said wryly.

"Considering you got shot through the chest and it completely healed over without a scratch within a couple of hours, I would say that's an affirmative." A glass of water appeared to Kaito's hand and he gulped it eagerly, his mouth parched from his lengthy story of Kaitou Kid's origins and Pandora.

"So…_did_ you destroy Pandora then?"

Kaito glanced at me suspiciously, ignoring the question. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

"Forgive me for not having a mental breakdown in front of you," I muttered sarcastically, rubbing my temples. "But in all seriousness, I just don't think it's completely set in yet."

The magician nodded in understanding. "Well, to answer your question, I didn't. Destroy it, I mean." I raised an eyebrow and Kaito elaborated. "I wasn't sure what would happen. I thought there might be a chance that if it were destroyed, its powers would…stop affecting you."

There was a silence for a moment as Kaito shifted awkwardly. Finally, I shrugged. "Do it." For some odd reason, I was feeling completely apathetic, considering that I was just informed that I could never die. I decided that I was in shock.

"Huh?" Kaito's head snapped forward to look me in the eye.

"Do it. Destroy it," I suggested nonchalantly.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Kaito gasped, tone suddenly angry. "You might die!"

"I was supposed to die last night."

"So what are you saying? That I shouldn't have saved your life?"

"Maybe."

"If I hadn't saved you, you would probably be cursing me from the afterlife for not doing so," Kaito muttered bitterly.

"You're probably right," I admitted. "That's why I said maybe. At least this way, I can choose for myself. Although, if you don't mind, could you wait a couple of days before you try destroying it? I admit that I'm not in the most logical state of mind at present."

Kaito gaped. "I think you may have already had that mental breakdown. Why don't you lie down for a bit?"

"I think I'm too awake for that," I groaned, stretching. "Not that I wouldn't love another nap; I'm rather exhausted."

"Probably 'cause your body just completely healed over a bullet wound," Kaito pointed out. "Of course, it _did_ have some assistance."

I hummed in acknowledgment. After a few moments (during which Kaito fidgeted awkwardly and was no doubt inwardly debating whether or not he should be leaving), I finally spoke, "Hey, Kuroba?"

"Yeah."

"You ever read _Tuck Everlasting_?"

"The book?" Kaito furrowed his brows in confusion. "No. I think Aoko read it in English to practice the language, but I didn't."

I hummed again. I hadn't picked up the small book since I was twelve, but this situation suddenly reminded me of it. It also reminded me of my reaction to it at the time: _Thank goodness I'll never have to go through that_…_can you imagine?_ "It's about a family who drank some special water that enabled them to live forever," I explained to him. "The main character is a normal girl who falls in love with a member of the family, and has to choose whether or not to drink from the water as well and live with them forever."

Kaito nodded, understanding now. "What does she choose?" The way he said it made me realize that he had already guessed.

"She chooses not to leave with the family. She marries someone else, grows old, and dies with him." I shook my head vigorously. "I'm…I'm not being ungrateful, Kuroba. Really. I appreciate what you did. In fact, if there was someone, anyone, else in the same situation, I'd be thrilled. But…"

"There's not," Kaito finished. "You're alone."

I nodded morosely and raked my finger through my hair, his bluntly spoken words like a fist in my gut. Kaito twisted his wrist and a sapphire replaced the empty glass of water in his grasp. I recognized the jewel that he had stolen the previous night.

"Here." He held out Pandora to me, but I could only gape at him. "Take it. It's no use to anyone but you anymore, and we don't even know if it'll help at all."

I still hesitated. "But your dad…"

Kaito shrugged, a pained expression flashing across his face before being quickly replaced by a poker face. "I kept Pandora from those guys who killed him, and I think Nakamori-keibu arrested one of them—the one who shot as us last night. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of telling him about the sniper while I used your voice to tell him that you were 'going home.'" He flashed his trademark grin, and I felt a bit less on edge.

I stretched out my arm and tentatively took Pandora from Kaito's palm. "I guess…" I looked up and allowed my brown eyes to meet his blue. "…I'll destroy it when I'm ready to go. But I promise you, Kuroba, I _will_ destroy it."

xXx

When I turned twenty-five, I faked my own death; any longer and it would have been more obvious that I wasn't aging. I hid out in America for about seventeen years, after which I returned to Japan as my own son, Keiichi. I claimed that I was the result of an affair between Hakuba Saguru and an unknown British woman, who dropped me off at a British orphanage only shortly after my birth.

It practically killed me to have to repeat that story over and over, but there was no better explanation. Kuroba was still the only other person in the world who knew the truth.

Well, not anymore.

It happened three years after my return to Japan. I had spent the larger part of those three years with Kuroba, Aoko, and their two children; they even allowed me to stay in their house. So, of course, I was one of the first to know when Kuroba's body turned up. Being slightly older than the eldest of Aoko's children, the role of comforter fell to me—which is why I was so absolutely guilt-ridden when I decided that it was time. I remained with Aoko and her family for almost a month before informing her that I was returning to Britain to attempt to find my birth-mother. Instead, I retrieved Pandora, which I had requested that Kuroba keep safe until I had need of it.

By now, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to die.

As I brought the hammer down on the sapphire, I prayed that it would work.

And as the hammer shattered the gem, the sharp, unbearable pain in my chest told me that I had nothing more about which to worry.


End file.
